Why should I meet with a diabetes educator after a diabetes diagnosis?

You’ll need to make sure that your calorie and carbohydrate intake is balanced with your medication and physical activity. A dietitian or diabetes educator can help you come up with a meal plan that fits your goals and includes foods you like.

Registered Dietitian (RD): A health care professional who advises people about meal planning, nutrition, and weight control. A dietitian who is also a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) has additional training in diabetes management and can assist you with your overall diabetes care.

Diabetes Educator: A health care professional who teaches people with diabetes how to manage their disease. A diabetes educator can also be a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). This means he or she has additional expertise in all areas of diabetes care and has successfully passed a national exam.

 

A diagnosis of diabetes can leave you reeling with feelings of anger, shock, guilt, fear, denial, depression, or even blame. Your attitudes, beliefs, and values will also play a role in your response. Many of those attitudes and beliefs may be based on misinformation and anecdotes given by well meaning, family and friends. A certified diabetes educator (CDE) will work with you to examine your feelings and fears about diabetes. By getting to know you on an individual basis, a CDE will help you create a self-management plan that is unique to you and your lifestyle.

Additionally, a diabetes educator can help you:

• Learn how to self monitor blood glucose
• Learn how to prevent and manage low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia)
• Understand the disease process
• Make healthy food choices
• Learn how your diabetes medicine works and when to take it
• Develop a fitness plan
• Learn how to handle eating on the run

To find a diabetes educator near you go to the American Association of Diabetes Educators' web site at www.diabeteseducator.org and scroll down the page until you see "Find a Diabetes Educator" (on the right side of the page).

 

 A diabetes educator has the knowledge and skill to answer the many questions and address concerns you may have about a diabetes diagnosis. A review of your current lifestyle will be addressed and some basic steps taken to help you live healthy with diabetes.

You bet! A certified diabetes educator can help you create a meal plan that will balance your blood sugars and keep your diabetes in control. Also consider working with a Registered Dietitian and to find one in your area visit: www.eatright.org!